“I’m embarrassed by the big change…regrettable, but expectations are high”
“Acknowledge the value of baseball and take over…I believe they will support you well”
Reporter Kim Hee-joon = SK Wyverns coach Kim Won-hyeong emphasized that he will continue the spring camp without being shaken despite the big change of parent company change.
Coach Kim said, “There was a big change a week ago. I was embarrassed at the time, and I had thoughts that I couldn’t believe. Even now, I still have some regrets,” he said. With the heart of doing well, I will go to the spring camp as I prepared.”
‘Big change’ means that SK Telecom sold the SK Wyverns baseball team to Shinsegae Group. Shinsegae Group officially announced on the 26th of last month that it will acquire the baseball team from SK Telecom.
Shinsegae Group has announced that it will be 100% employed by the coach, the athletes, and the front desk. Although the team name has not been decided yet, coach Kim, who took the new SK baton after the 2020 season, will become the first manager of the new baseball team run by Shinsegae Group.
Director Kim confessed, “I feel a little different because of a big change. When I was first appointed as SK manager, I felt a burden, but now I feel another burden and responsibility.”
Still, he emphasized that “I will only think about one thing and go. The first goal is to do the camp as I think and prepare.”
Coach Kim, who played for Ssangbangwool Raiders from 1991 to 1999, played as SK player from 2000 to 2010 when SK acquired Ssangbangwool in 2000. After retirement, coach Kim, who served as a leader at SK from 2012 to 2016, returned to his home team after four years after working as a coach at the Lotte Giants and Doosan Bears.
As he has been with SK for a long time, it is regrettable that Kim also has to change his uniform. But at the same time, there is also an expectation.
Kim, who went through the process of acquiring the club in 2000 when he was a player, said, “It is different from then. When Ssangbangwool was acquired, it was somewhat expected due to poor finances at the parent company, but now it happened suddenly. The team’s support was poor, and there was an expectation of getting better support after taking over as a player,” he recalled.
Coach Kim said, “There will be regrets from the perspective of the players right now. I have returned after a long time, but I have to use a different name right away. Regret remains for a team called Wyverns.” “It will not interfere with camping with the players.”
Coach Kim, who also referred to the change of the team name as a’new beginning’, emphasized, “I have a great expectation,” saying, “It is the value of baseball that was recognized and acquired by Shinsegae Group.
Coach Kim, who has to keep up with the squad’s atmosphere as a command tower, urged, “Even if there is regret, I am not an amateur, but a professional. I must always adapt to changes.”
SK players, who suffered confusion right after the announcement of the takeover, are in full swing, clearing up the shock and preparing for the 2021 season. The determination to shake off the regret of being in ninth place in the 2020 season is also great.
Coach Kim said, “It was difficult to check how the players trained during the off-season, but when I heard it, the heat was great. I made my body steadfast.” “My mission.”
Like other clubs, SK has given up overseas training in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) and chose domestic training. You have to adapt to a different training environment than usual.
Coach Kim said, “Spring Campground is in Korea, but overall the temperature is high, so it will be okay for players to train. It’s better weather than land. Environment and facilities are okay.”
“We plan to focus on defensive training in the morning during this spring camp. Players should also recognize the importance of defense. In the afternoon, we will focus on batting training. We need some amount of training,” he said. .
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